1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of food preparation and display, and more particularly to the use of skewers to secure whole or sections of fruits and other food and non-food items for an ornamental display or for cooking, and even more particularly to a skewer for preventing the fruit, food or non-food items from rotating about the axis of the skewer or sliding along the length of the skewer such that the food or non-food item can be held securely in place for extended periods of time so as to allow for the creation of ornamental displays using fruit or other items, or alternatively for cooking the fruit or food items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of skewers to pierce and hold fruit and food for cooking or display purposes has long been known. Such skewers may be formed from a variety of materials, both natural, such as bamboo or wood, or man-made, such as plastic or metal. The wooden and metal skewers are used for cooking as well as for display purposes, while the plastic skewers are typically used solely for display purposes, since the plastic can melt when placed in a hot cooking environment, such as a grill or an oven.
The use of specially designed skewers to prevent movement of the items placed thereon has long been known. For example, as early as 1899, skewers having a tapered body with outwardly extending elements that extend the length of the skewer for preventing rotation of the food have been known, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 623,571 for a “Meat Skewer,” which issued to Shipe on Apr. 25, 1899. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,268, which issued to Glantzlin on Dec. 23, 1952 for “Wooden Holder or Skewer” claims a flat wooden skewer having tapered edges wherein the fibers of the wood form barb-like elements adapted to engage the article into which the skewer is inserted. In yet another example, a skewer having a squared cross-section having wedge-like projections arranged in a saw-tooth pattern to prevent the food item from sliding off is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,578, which issued to Zinder on Feb. 27, 1979 for “Holder Stick for a Confectionary Product.”
In some cases, end caps or other devices are used for preventing the food item from sliding off the skewer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,362, which issued to H. Wiur on Nov. 15, 1949 for a “Grating Holder for Potatoes, Fruits, and the Like,” discloses a skewer that is polygonal in cross section to prevent rotation of the food and having a removable handle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,443, which issued to Carney on Mar. 16, 1993 for “Skewer for Barbecuing” discloses a skewer device having a square cross-sectional shape and a pair of slidable support members for elevating the food above the cooking surface. Such slidable elements could also be used to facilitate the removal of the food item, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,418, which issued to Berke et al. on Sep. 11, 2001 for “Barbecue Skewer Structure and Method” which teaches a rod-shaped barbecue skewer having a slidable remover that may be used to remove food from the skewer easily.
Other means for retaining the food item on the skewer have also been tried. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,890, which issued on Jun. 19, 1951 to Perry for “Skewer for Holding Rolled Roast,” discloses the use of prongs or pins disposed on a rounded skewer for preventing the rotation of the food item.
Skewers having different cross-sectional shapes are also shown in design patents, including U.S. Pat. No. D208,569, which issued to Novak on Sep. 12, 1967 for “Skewer for Roasting Meat” and U.S. Pat. No. D189,441, which issued to Bonnell on Dec. 13, 1960 for “Meat Skewer.”
However, there are currently no skewers offer the unique advantages of the present invention, namely a skewer having a unique cross-sectional shape designed to prevent even the most fragile of food items from rotating about the longitudinal axis of the skewer and including one or more protrusions of various heights designed to prevent the food item from sliding along the length of the skewer and to prevent the skewer from being inserted too far into the object.